Lake Placid: The Final Chapter 2012 - REVIEW

If you've been following along, you should already know that I am a Syfy junkie. If left to my own devices, I will veg out on Syfy for an entire weekend. Yes, they're cheesy and corny and sometimes not all that great but you HAVE to admit that they are, more often than not, FUN.

Touted as the fourth and final entry into the Lake Placid franchise, The Final Chapter picks up where 3 left off with Reba (Yancy Butler) injured but still alive in a grocery store. After the credits roll, the action picks up pretty quick and introduces us to a whole new cast (save for Butler) including Elisabeth Rohm as Sheriff Theresa Giove and an engineer from the Army Corp of Engineers who apparently came to town with his son Max (Benedict Smith) to install a massive electrified fence around the entire lake. It's about TIME! They hint early on that they've populated the woods with other wildlife to make sure these extremely rare crocs have plenty to snack on BUT... throw in a scientist greedy for more information, a poacher (Robert Englund) and his crew and a bus load of teenagers and it's not long before the crocs are blessed with an all you can eat biped buffet.

Robert Englund graces the screen as the latest Bickerman, a name that has become synonymous in the Lake Placid films. It seems he's a distant cousin who's not too thrilled about being left out of the "family fortune" and decides to get it the hard way. Let's face it, no matter what Englund does he always does it 100% and there's no exception here. He brings the creepy and the funny and definitely helps make the film more fun with his one liner deliveries. I don't care what anyone says, I freaking love Yancy Butler. I know that she's had her battles with addiction but she seems to be on the mend. At least it looks that way in this film. I found myself laughing out loud at some of her line delivery. She's gorgeous and she's a great actress. Mock me if you will, I don't care. Together, she and Englund completely steal the show from lead Elisabeth Rohm. And speaking of Rohm, I've never been a huge fan of hers. I've watched her in Angel and Law and Order and she always came off as wooden to me with very little facial expression BUT she proved me wrong in this one. Her performance here was pretty solid throughout and she managed to hold her own.

So, is this installment as cheesy as other Syfy originals? Yes and no. Sorry, that's the best answer I can give you! To me, they all have a certain amount of cheese but that's what makes them so enjoyable. In the realm of all things Syfy, it's one of the better originals. You get some pretty nice scenic shots and you guys will have a few tidbits of eye candy to look at as well. Not to mention, there's some pretty stellar acting. There's nothing really overly original about it but I'd suspect if you've found your way to this channel, originality is not something you're looking for to begin with and if you're a fan like me, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

Lake Placid: The Final Chapter premieres on Syfy September 29 at 9/8C.